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Police stories for March 19

Ruidoso Police responded to Domino's Pizza at 1717 Sudderth Drive at 10:13 p.m. March 9 for a report of a bomb threat.

The manager said she had answered the phone and a male said, "There's a bomb in your store." He stated the same thing again and hung up.

Police Cpl. Lance Ledford, and officers Steve Minner and Curtis Rodgers, searched the store, did not find a bomb and let the employees back in the store.

The incident is under investigation.

No biting

Ruidoso Patrol Officer Tillman Freeman met a woman at the Ruidoso Police Department March 9 for a report of stolen property.

The woman said her ex-boyfriend had taken her property and would not return it. Freeman suggested civil action to get the property returned.

The woman then said that prior to meeting with Freeman she had met her ex and they had an argument, which resulted in them shoving each other. She said she was in her vehicle and Robert Hammett, 26, of Capitan, allegedly tried holding her hand and she bit him on the arm.

Freeman located Hammett. Hammett said that they had argued and Lindsay Vaughn, 22, of Ruidoso, allegedly had struck him in the side of the head and punched him in the stomach with a set of keys. He said she also had allegedly hit him in the head with her cell phone, which she grabbed away from him. According to Hammett, that is when Vaughn bit him on the arm.

Freeman cited Hammet for interference with communications and criminal damage to property.

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He cited Vaughn for battery against a household member.

In a hurry

Ruidoso Patrol Officer Chris Bryant responded to a Be on the Lookout (BOLO) for a black Mercedes traveling eastbound on Sudderth from Paradise Canyon at 7:28 p.m. March 10. The driver of the Mercedes had reportedly "flashed" a firearm at a driver of the car behind him.

Ruidoso Downs Patrol Officer Tim Winrow stopped the Mercedes at the entrance to Walmart and Bryant interviewed the driver there.

Christopher Bustillos, 21, said he was coming from the Inn of the Mountain Gods on Carrizozo Canyon Drive and was in a hurry to get home, so he was speeding. Bustillos said he came up behind a Honda Civic that was going about 20 mph and he tailgated the Civic. The driver flipped him off out the driver's window. Bustillos passed the Civic and stuck his pistol through the sunroof, straight up in the air, so the driver of the Civic would leave him alone and not follow him home.

The driver of the Civic did follow Bustillos to provide police with his location and the female driver of the Civic confirmed the story, except she said Bustillos held the pistol through the sunroof as he passed her.

Bryant examined the pistol and found there was not a round in the chamber, but the clip was full. Bryant issued Bustillos a non-traffic citation for negligent use of a deadly weapon.

Right wrong man

Ruidoso Patrol Sgt. Aaron Frost spotted a man he thought to be someone he wanted to talk walking eastward in the 600 block of Sudderth Drive at 11:57 a.m. March 13. Frost initiated contact with the man and found it was not whom he thought it was, but was someone else with a warrant.

Frost arrested Emanual Botella on warrants from Ruidoso Downs Municipal Court for $225 in traffic offenses and 12th Judicial District Court for absconding on charges of criminal damage to property,

Frost also found Botella to be in possession of marijuana, a violation of his probation.

Frost arrested Botella, who was transported to Lincoln County Detention Center with a no bond hold.

Pole dancer

Ruidoso Patrol Officer Josh Snodgrass responded to the 100 block of Convair Drive March 14 for a report of criminal damage to property.

The victim showed Snodgrass where someone had bent his mailbox post back and forth until it broke near the concrete base.

The victim said it would cost $200 to repair the damage.

Too much love

Ruidoso Downs Patrol Cpl. Chris Rupp responded to a report of a possible overdose in the 100 block of Park Lane at 2:19 p.m. March 14.

Rupp reported the victim had dried blood on the sleeve of his shirt and scratch marks on his face. He refused medical treatment and said he and his wife got into an argument and he called her a name. She then scratched him.

Patrol Officer Tim Winrow located the man's wife, Kimberly Marrujo, 27, in her car a block away. Rupp went to her location and interviewed her. She admitted to scratching her husband but said he pulled her hair.

Rupp asked Marrujo if there were any narcotics in the vehicle because her husband said she had been smoking marijuana before the argument. She admitted having a marijuana cigarette in her purse.

A warrant was issued for Marrujo on charges of battery on a household member and arrangements were made for her to turn herself in March 15.

On March 15 Marrujo turned herself in, was booked and released after posting bond.

Bad light

Officer Tim Winrow stopped a vehicle for an inoperable license plate lamp at 8:17 p.m. March 15 and issued the passenger a non-traffic citation for possession of drug paraphernalia.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Brittany Priddy. Priddy had failed to appear in District Court in Carrizozo Friday morning for an almost two-year-old case. Public Defender Angie Schneider had taken the blame for Priddy not appearing, telling the court Priddy had only been notified that morning. Judge Karen Parsons suggested issuing a warrant for Priddy but did not.

The passenger was Robert Webb, 36, of Ruidoso. Webb admitted having drunk about 1/2 of a 40-ounce beer and admitted he was on probation with misdemeanor compliance. He said he was not allowed to drink on probation. Webb also admitted he was at the casino to cash a check and said he was not aware that he was not supposed to be at the casino on probation.

Winrow detained Webb and searched him, finding a capped syringe in Webb's jacket pocket. Webb said he was planning to use it later in the evening for narcotics.

Ruidoso Downs Patrol Officer Tom Gavin responded to Turkey Canyon Road at 9:03 p.m. March 15 for a report of a truck that had ran through a gate.

The reporting party met Gavin in the 200 block of Valley View and pointed to an open field where Gavin saw a Chevrolet pickup that had apparently been abandoned. In a grove of trees next to the truck he saw a man face down on the ground apparently trying to hide from him. Gavin drew his Taser and ordered the man out of the brush. Winrow arrived and covered Gavin as he entered the brush, grabbed the man by his pants leg and pulled him out of the brush on his stomach. Gavin had to use two sets of handcuffs to secure the large man's hands.

Gavin reported he smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred.

The man, later identified as Ran Sanchez, 51, gave Gavin two different names.

Rupp arrived to identify the man as Sanchez.

Gavin charged Sanchez with resisting, evading or obstructing an office and concealing identity.

Sanchez was released on an unsecured bond.

The reporting party said there was a second man with Sanchez. The second man remains at large.

The following day, Gavin and Rupp responded to the 400 block of Palo Verde for a report that Sanchez was standing behind his pickup drinking a bottle of whiskey.

The officers arrived and arrested Sanchez again.

They charged Sanchez with battery on a peace officer and abuse of the Emergency 911 system.

Watch your step

Ruidoso Patrol Officer Joseph Bailey responded to Allsups on Highway 70 at 7 p.m. March 15 for a report of a battery.

The clerk told Bailey a man had came out of the bathroom and yelled at him to clean up the water on the floor of the bathroom, then struck him in the side of the head with a closed fist. The clerk said he came around the counter and told the man to leave the store and followed him outside to insure the safety of the customers. Outside the man reportedly hit the clerk in the head with his fist three more times.

Officer Jon Lund located the suspect in the parking lot. Johnny Soto, 48, of Fontana, Calif., said he slopped in the water on the floor of the bathroom and almost fell. He was mad so he walked out to the clerk's area and yelled at the clerk, who reportedly yelled back at him. Soto said he became agitated and hit the clerk. When the clerk followed him outside, he hit him again, then went over to his car and waited for the police to arrive.

Bailey issued Soto a non-traffic citation for battery.

Good safety

A man waived Ruidoso Patrol Cpl. Steve Corbin down in the 600 block of Sudderth Drive at 9:45 a.m. March 16 to give him a gun he found in the street.

The man, a resident of Artesia, said he was standing in the parking lot drinking coffee when he saw a truck with Texas license plates pass west bound on Sudderth and he heard something fall off the truck into the road. He found a pistol in a holster in the road, which he gave to Corbin. The pistol was loaded.

Corbin reports the pistol did not return through NCIC and it had an abrasion on the handle that was consistent with the man's story. Corbin secured the pistol in the Ruidoso Police Department.

Slow down

Ruidoso Downs Patrol Officer April Payan was patrolling on Turkey Canyon at 10:44 p.m. March 16 when she observed a pickup turn westbound onto Turkey Canyon, squealing its tires.

Payan and Cpl. Rupp made contact with the driver of the vehicle at Circle K and determined driver Fraquio Silva was wanted on warrants from Lincoln County Magistrate Court and Dona Ana Magistrate Court.

Too much

Ruidoso Patrol Officer Lance Ledford responded to the 900 block of Carrizo Canyon at 2:05 a.m. March 17 for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.

Ledford reports he found a pickup crashed and three men apparently injured. The injured men were treated at the scene and transported to Lincoln County Medical Center.

Ledford reports the men had been drinking at the Inn of the Mountain Gods and admitted they had drunk way too much to be driving.

Ledford interviewed the men and determined Wilhelm Friesen, 27, of Seminole, Texas, was driving the pickup when it crashed. Ledford arrested Friesen and Deputy District Attorney John Sugg charged Friesen with two counts of great bodily harm by a vehicle, aggravated DWI and careless driving. Bond was set at $22,000 surety, with Amador Bond posted.

Two-fer

Gavin observed an SUV run a stop sign at Nevada and Colorado streets and when he stopped the vehicle he arrested both occupants.

The driver was identified as Jason Pillar, 38, of Ruidoso Downs. Gavin observed ignition interlock equipment on the console of the vehicle. Pillar told Gavin the company that installed the device told him it was OK to drive without it until they could install it. Gavin arrested Pillar.

The passenger in the vehicle was Stephanie McCall, 37, and she had two felony arrest warrants.

Parsons had issued an arrest warrant for McCall March 8 when she failed to show up in District Court for a hearing. McCall's father appeared that day and told Parsons he had been looking for her for two days.